PPP congress recommends giving women leading role

JAKARTA (JP): The United Development Party (PPP) veered into a debate over gender issues at its congress on Tuesday and after fierce deliberation finally agreed to recommend the appointment of women to the party's leadership.

The congress reached the agreement after a debate on the promotion of women in the party's leadership during a plenary session on the third-day of the congress, which is being held at the Haj Dormitory in Pondok Gede, East Jakarta.

Congress Commission A proposed inserting the general issue of promotion of women into the party's statute to bring it into line with the era of female emancipation and reform.

The proposal also stressed that women should be among the deputies on the party's central board and in provincial chapters and regional branches.

However, a number of male delegates balked at the suggestion of specifically allocating jobs to women.

They maintained that the statute was neither discriminatory nor biased in favor of either sex. Both genders have equal rights to vote and to be elected, they argued. Women and the majority of the men at the plenary session supported the proposal.

Those who argued in support of it contended that the party's leadership should not be dominated by men and should give more attention to women.

Aisyah Aminy, a member of the party's outgoing central board, said the promotion of women should be inserted into the statute because the party has so far been dominated by men.

"Of 368 regional branches in the country, less than one percent are chaired by women," she said.

Mirwati Sumarmo, the chairwomen of the Central Lampung regional branch, called on women to become more active in the party. "Women, show yourselves and take a leading role in the party," she said, drawing applause from the floor.

She said there was a great imbalance in the party, with only one woman in the outgoing central board and five regional branches chaired by women.

The five regional branches are Central Tapanuli and Asahan in North Sumatra, Sumenep in Madura, Central Lampung and Irian Jaya.

Aisyah expressed deep concern over the quality of female cadres in the party, saying that women in Indonesia still faced tremendous challenges if they want to participate in politics.

"Despite the recommendation, we really have no female cadres ready to be promoted to the party's leadership.

Women are not yet ready to take important positions in the party," she said, adding that she could not retain her post because she had held it for the maximum two terms stipulated in the party statute.

Hamzah Haz, a leading candidate for party leader, hailed the recommendation, saying that he would select women in his team if elected as the new chairman.

"My team will not be complete if it has no women," he said. (rms)